Our View: Put all the cards on the table before Fall River casino vote

Thursday

Mar 13, 2014 at 6:09 PM

The news that Foxwoods Resort Casino had secured an option to purchase 30 acres in Fall River's South End for a new casino — at the site of the New Harbour Mall — has been received with a great deal of both excitement and trepidation, unleashing a flood of questions within our community that has supported plenty of gaming proposals that have come and gone over the years.

Herald News Editorial Board

The news that Foxwoods Resort Casino had secured an option to purchase 30 acres in Fall River’s South End for a new casino — at the site of the New Harbour Mall — has been received with a great deal of both excitement and trepidation, unleashing a flood of questions within our community that has supported plenty of gaming proposals that have come and gone over the years.

Since the news broke Wednesday night, readers have taken to heraldnews.com and the HNNow Facebook and Twitter pages to share their questions, concerns and hopes.

They unfortunately also began spreading misinformation. For example, although Foxwoods is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Connecticut, the Fall River proposal would be a commercial casino — not a tribal casino, like the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe casino proposal for Taunton. It is important for the community discussion and debate to be based upon facts.

A significant concern — one that had previously been expressed by Flanagan related to that site’s casino potential — is the adjacent Letourneau Elementary School. An elementary school would certainly seem ill-suited to be in the shadow of a casino. Where does Letourneau Elementary School fit into this plan?

Another big question has to do with the proximity of the site to the state line with Tiverton. Does Tiverton (and Rhode Island) have any say on the issue since it is so close to the border? Neighboring communities have certain rights under the Massachusetts casino gaming law, but those rights apparently do not apply to out-of-state communities. Will Foxwoods make a deal with Tiverton — less than a mile from the casino site — even though it is not required to under the Massachusetts gaming law? Certainly, Tiverton deserves to get a fair shake when it comes to mitigating casino impacts.

While there’s reason to be hopeful about the prospects for much-needed regional economic development and jobs associated with the Foxwoods casino plan, the questions and concerns stemming from this proposal are many. Now is the time for community groups — on both sides of the state line — to get their lists of questions and concerns together, and push Foxwoods and the city to provide those much-needed answers. The city will hold a public forum in the coming weeks to receive input before drafting a host community agreement in which the city would be looking to secure revenues that would be allocated to public safety and education.

Under the Massachusetts casino gaming law, the approval process is a swift one, with a citywide referendum expected as soon as May or June. There is no time to waste.